


Inclined to Friendship

by AyaTheMidorian



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, Major Original Character(s), Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-06-24 05:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15623967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyaTheMidorian/pseuds/AyaTheMidorian
Summary: The other Guardians regret their previous treatment of Jack. Surely he'd been lonely, suffering 300 years isolated and brooding over his unknown destiny."What do you mean, isolation? I haven't been alone all this time."...huh?





	1. Good-Natured Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

> To be quite honest, Rise of the Guardians was an integral part of my life from 9th grade onward, and it still is, only because of all the characters I made in its universe. That being said, THIS STORY IS OC-CENTRIC. It's full of original spirits of many different types. They're diverse in tons of ways, so if you don't think you can handle that then you don't have to read this. I'm just sharing this because I love both canon and fanon so much that I don't mind showing other people what I made with it. I hope you enjoy!

Feeling like people are tiptoeing around you is a strange kind of unpleasant. It wasn't bad when people were extra nice and affectionate, but it can be...confusing. Off-putting. Almost fake, almost like compensation for something they've done wrong that you don't know about.

Jack had been feeling like this for about a week. In the beginning, he just thought that North was pouring on a bigger dose of hugs, laughs, and cookies than usual. Then he thought that maybe Tooth was having a great run of successful collections and was even happier than usual. He started to worry when Sandy tried to hug him constantly. He got extremely suspicious when Bunny decided to gift him a bunch of Easter candies in July, apparently after hearing that he was staying by himself more than he was staying in the room that North had insisted he take in the workshop.

Like a parent whose children were being overly sweet to avoid getting in trouble for breaking something, Jack was getting annoyed. He decided that he needed to get to the bottom of whatever was happening. His mind immediately flitted to mischief; maybe he could pull the Northern Lights to summon everyone? Maybe pay back the first undisputed action of stuffing someone in a sack and tossing them through a portal? He grew a bit giddy, trying to think of how he'd actually pull that off with everyone.

Luckily, or rather to his disappointment, he didn't have to go through with anything that might have gotten him hurt by an unsuspecting Guardian. As he paced through North's workshop, sliding his finger along the second-floor banister and drawing frost along its surface, he heard a clamor beneath him. Instinctively, he looked down at the floor, but then rolled his eyes and peered over the banister. He heard stomping and saw a frazzled-looking Bunny leaving the kitchen.

"I'm NOT trying another bloody cake!" Bunny shouted. "We've got nearly 8 months to get it right. We don't need to do this all now!"

"We have many flavors to try!" came North's voice. "Many combinations!"

"They don't need to be done now, and especially not all at once!" Bunny tapped his foot against the floor. A hole began to open up, but Jack saw his chance. He thrust his staff, quite epically he thought, and flash-covered the hole with ice. Then he jumped on the banister and, also quite epically, flung himself down to the first floor.

"What the-?!" Bunny lurched back, narrowly dodging getting his feet frozen. His eyes widened when he saw Jack, and he stood up straight. "Wh- how long've you been here?"

"Long enough," Jack replied, hoping he sounded intimidating despite not knowing exactly what Bunny and North had been talking about. "I'm done with the secrets and I wanna know what's going on." He spun around when he heard footsteps and wing beats leaving the kitchen. "You all are gonna tell me what's happening!"

"What are you talking about, Jack?" Toothiana asked. She looked innocent enough, but she didn't follow with anything more. Jack shook his head at her big, worried eyes and turned to Sandy. The golden little man formed a question mark above his head, followed by a smiling face in Jack's likeness. Finally, Jack turned to North, who looked like a deer in headlights for a millisecond before grinning and waving his hands.

"It was a surprise! A special gift, for...uh, party!" North nodded. "A celebration for the end of summer!"

"It's still August." Jack deadpanned.

"There are many flavors to try, and many combinations! It could take a month to find the best one!" North's smile didn't fade. Jack glanced at the other guardians, noting how they looked tense, yet slightly relieved. His eyes narrowed. So they were going to ride on North's booming voice to get out of this? Not on his watch.

"You guys have been acting weird for days and I want to know why."

"Weird? What do you mean, weird?" North shook his head. "No-one is acting weird!"

"STOP!"

Jack slammed his staff against the floor. A plume of cold air rushed outward, while frost raced out in a circle. The other Guardians went silent, looking at Jack with nervous eyes.

"Tell me. What's going on." Jack scowled when no-one said anything. "It feels like you're coddling me. Why?"

Again, no-one said a word. Uncomfortable looks and mild glares passed between them all, until finally Sandy made a series of images above his head. First it was Jack's face alone, then it changed to the Guardians' head huddled together, and then Jack alone again. A big, sad frown drooped on sand-Jack's cheeks.

"You...think I'm sad without you?" Jack's brow furrowed in confusion, feeling almost insulted.

"No, that's not it," Tooth waved her hands, gingerly stepping toward him. "It's just...we know that the last few centuries were hard on you. You didn't know who you used to be. You didn't even know why you were Jack Frost." Sandy nodded emphatically, while North gave Jack a solemn smile. Bunny scratched his head, looking uncomfortable.

"...You had a hard time. We…" Bunny shook his head and Jack thought he saw him grimace. "No. I gave you a hard time. A lot. But 300 isolated years...it woulda hurt anyone."

"Isolated…?" Jack tilted his head to the side. Tooth nodded at him.

"You spent a lot of time trying to be noticed, by humans and spirits," she came closer to Jack, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And we regret that it took so long to just treat you well. Even now, as a Guardian, there's so much to make up for. Even...even if we can't fix it, we can be a family, Jack."

It was ironic, Jack thought, how sweet Tooth was. He believed over everything that if her powers were more dark in persuasion, she could give anyone a cavity instantly. He glanced at North, who had moved in too.

"Is true. You are family to us, Jack. We want to treat you like it. We want to make sure you know you are welcome, and we are sorry for making you feel unwelcome at times."

"...wow, that's...really nice of you guys," Jack started with a half-smile. The confusion still hadn't left his face.

"But...what do you mean, isolation? I haven't been alone all this time."


	2. Cleared Air and Planning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad this story is being enjoyed! I hope you all like this next chapter. I'm going to go for a Monday schedule, and hopefully I'll be able to work around the site block of my university *eyeroll*

"...hm?"

Apparently, Tooth hadn't processed what Jack had said. Judging by the confused expressions on each face, neither had anyone else.

"I haven't been completely alone," Jack said, slower this time. "Maybe I went for the attention of bigger spirits like you guys or, you know, humans, but...I wasn't isolated."

He turned around and walked toward the Globe room. The door was usually half-shut when everyone was gathered, so he pushed it open until he could see the soft glowing lights. Jack heard the others walking up behind him.

"It hurt that the Moon stopped talking to me after just...telling me my name." Jack gripped his staff with both hands. "You know? So I just…" he sighed. Jack was never good at spilling his feelings to people - at least, not with them actively listening. He'd talked to the Man in the Moon, sure, but it was more like talking at him since he never responded. Over centuries, Jack had vented, bargained, and complained to someone who felt like an object, and it was totally different from having to gauge reactions and monitor his tact. He rubbed his thumb over a particular knot in the crook of his staff before speaking again.

"For a long time, I just tried to be noticed by anyone and everyone. I wanted someone to be with. Not in any special way, but…" he shrugged.

"All of those years trying to sneak in, then…" North clapped a hand down on Jack's shoulder, making the shorter spirit flinch. "You were trying to get attention plus a look at the workshop, da?"

Jack wasn't sure what expression to make with his mouth. It felt strange knowing that his new friends - well, new family - were feeling guilty about what they thought they knew about his past. They'd taken it upon themselves to shower him with love and gifts, which he wouldn't turn down, but the more he thought about it the stranger it seemed.

"...Did you guys really think I had no friends for 300 years?"

"A lotta spirits are tempermental, mate," Bunny spoke, folding his arms across his chest. "But I don't have to tell you that."

"Oh yeah, I know too much about that," Jack replied dryly, raising an eyebrow at him. Bunny didn't seem very ashamed by that fact. "Not just you, but pixies, nymphs, ghosts...either they like ya or they don't."

Jack heard the soft shifting of sand, and looked to see Sandy forming a scene with both hands. Jack could see a little figure of himself surrounded by random figures, question marks floating around them.

"So you're asking who these friends are, huh?"

"You've never talked about your friends, Jack," Tooth chimed in, holding her hands together and flitting up into the air. "We really didn't know...most of the time, you go out playing with the kids in Burgess."

"I...can't really tell you how that happened." Jack sighed. Then he frowned, feeling like he was sighing far too much. He twirled his staff from hand to hand, trying to find some lighter words. "We all get busy, right? We all have things we want or need to do. I guess I was impatient with Mim-"

"Mim?" North interrupted.

"Man in the Moon. I cut it to that."

"Oh…"

"I was impatient with Mim and how he wouldn't tell me what the heck I was supposed to be doing. I felt...lost. So I wanted more attention than just a few spirits could give." Jack's eyes widened as soon as the sound of his words reached him again. "Not that they're unimportant or anything! They're not 'just a few spirits' but...ugh, I don't know. I don't know!"

This whole ordeal was nonsense. Why was he stressing himself out over it? Jack huffed and drew a stream of frost on the floor in front of him. He watched the others back away, and his frown deepened.

"They're still my friends. I just...felt a different kind of lonely after they fixed the other kind."

"I'm not sure we all understand, Jack." Tooth said softly. "But...if nothing else, I'm glad to know that you weren't completely by yourself." she smiled, and Jack couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah. You know, I haven't gotten to talk with them for a while."

"Who are these friends of yours, Jack?" North asked, hands on his hips. "Are they spirits we might know?"

"You may know them, but a lot of them are younger than me," Jack shrugged before adding, "I mean that most of them have been spirits for less time than me."

"They gotta have a lot o' patience to hang around you. Or they're just trouble themselves." Bunny quipped, his lips curling in a good-natured smirk.

"You wouldn't stand a chance with us, cottontail," Jack grinned. "I can take you guys to them. It'd be good for you to get to know them. Who knows, maybe that party will have a few more people." he glanced at North, who sheepishly puckered his lips. "Anyway, I know the other season keepers, the Halloween spirit, some reapers…"

"Now hold on a tick. You're friends with REAPERS?" Bunny's smile was incredulous now. "Since when d'you hang around spirits like them?"

"They're not that bad. And that's exactly what I'm talking about!" Jack said, waving one hand and pressing down against the floor with his staff in the other. "Even if you do know of them, you don't know about them!"

"Why not go see them, then! A great idea!" North's eyes grew big and wide. Jack shrunk back as the jolly man started ranting about readying the sleigh, and how this idea worked wonderfully for their relationship with the children, so why should it not work now? Jack had to agree; the Guardians were a bit more in touch with the kids they protected. It wasn't really surprising that their work had kept them away from mingling with other supernatural creatures.

Jack could see Tooth and Sandy exchanging happy smiles as they listened to North. Those two were always so optimistic. Bunny, on the other hand...seemed unimpressed. Maybe by the reaper comment? Jack leaned against his staff. Same old stubborn kangaroo.

"How 'bout we meet the seasons first?" asked Jack, making everyone quiet down. "I know them the best, and I'm probably gonna be able to figure out where they are faster."

"Very good!" North looked like he was close to bursting into excited cheers. "Jack can show us the way! This will be good for you." the infectious grin made its way to Jack's own face.

"Half the world is in winter and the other half's in summer. I know exactly who to start with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed, or have any advice on how to make my writing better! Thank you so much for reading.


	3. Sunny Seychelles

"So in August, he's usually either hanging out in Maui or just spending time at his home."

"Tell me again, Jack. How is it that you're best friends with the Keeper of Summer?"

Jack rolled his eyes. He was peering closely at North's console in the Globe room, which had a more readable map of the world than the Globe. Ever since he'd told the others about his closest friend, who'd they be visiting first, Bunny couldn't seem to get enough of the story on how they met.

"He invited me to Seychelles and I accidentally made it snow in the nation's hottest month. We fought for an hour. Then we stopped fighting and we're friends now. Happy?" Jack flashed a glare over his shoulder. Bunny grinned.

"You told it better the first three times."

"We can leave you here, you know."

"We should bring gifts! What does Julius like, Jack?" North, who Jack noticed was amazing at remembering names, was sorting through a sack full of random knick-knacks. "First impressions are lasting ones, da?"

"You don't really have to," Jack said, squinting at the map and tracing his finger from L.A. to Victoria. "Maybe he went to California this year…" he muttered under his breath.

"A surf set, perhaps?" North was bouncing ideas off of Sandy, who kept making little sand figures trying out the suggested gifts. "Right, right. Maybe guitar!"

"It's probably best if we check his house first." Jack frowned. There was no easy way to track down a roaming supernatural, and among other things, this was a qualm Jack had about spirits. So many of them had been around for centuries or millennia, yet no-one had bothered to enhance their ancient fanfare with a better mode of contact? What was so bad about a phone? Humans lost or threw away gadgets all the time. You'd think repurposing and learning how to use one would be easy. Heck, Jamie had just gotten a phone for his 10th birthday, and even Sophie knew how to dial some numbers-

"Are you listening, Jack?"

"Wuh?" Jack snapped back to reality at Tooth's voice. Everyone was looking at him, and even North had put down the sack for whatever conversation they'd been having. Two elves were sorting through it now, trying to strum the human-sized acoustic guitar. "Sorry. What happened?"

"We were talking about what you said earlier," Tooth continued. Her wings fluttered slightly, and she folded her arms, looking down at her feet. "About knowing of spirits but not knowing them."

"We believe you made important point." North sighed. "It has been many years since we have spoken at length with other spirits. Our first duty is protecting the children of the world, but…" North placed his hand against the Globe, seemingly observing the places where the lights were concentrated and where they were sparse. "Pitch Black is not the only threat children face. It would be unwise not to learn about those who could be our allies or enemies."

"...and friends, right?"

"Eh?" North blinked, turning back around to Jack. The younger Guardian had perched himself on top of the console.

"They don't have to be just allies. We're allowed to have friends..." Jack suddenly paused. He looked up at the skylight and then back at North with concerned eyes. "We're allowed to have friends, right?"

"Of course!" North boomed. Jack, despite his dislike of doing so, sighed and shook his head.

"Let's get going."

North had not picked out a present that he thought best for the Keeper of Summer, so he ended up bringing the entire sack. Everyone began making their way to the sleigh, but Tooth pointed out that it was, in fact, daytime in the Seychelles islands. Children would be terribly confused to see Santa in the middle of August. The portal would be a much faster and precise option, anyway.

Jack stared at his fingers on the other side of the glass. The little scene inside the globe was of two yetis grooming one of the reindeer - apparently, all of North's globes were unique and handmade, with no duplicate figures inside. Jack noticed that the glass felt a bit warm, and upon looking closer he noticed that the trinket was glowing slightly. He took one glance around at everyone, smirked at Bunny's and then took a deep breath.

"Ile Marianne. Julius's home."

Jack shook the snowglobe and quickly tossed it forward, feeling the strangest sensation of being cold and hot at the same time. A portal formed before it touched the ground. Faced with the swirling, colorful magic, Jack almost hesitated, but with the other Guardians, there was no time for that. He managed to jump before North's gentle push connected with his back, and he was swallowed by sparkling light.

Jack opened his eyes, only to wince and shut them again. The sun was blinding. He felt a wave of discomfort flood over his skin; the sun was also burning. He felt a jarring, yet refreshing, literal wave of cold travelling up his lower half and back down again. Of course the portal would drop him in the way of the surf.

"Crikey, it's warm," he heard Bunny say. Jack rolled over and pushed himself up to his hands and knees. He felt a zap of panic at his empty hands, but relaxed when he reached out and found the familiar wood of his staff. He carefully opened his eyes again, squinting this time.

"Welcome to the Indian Ocean," Jack groaned. "Though apparently this is a part of Africa."

"Haven't been in these parts in a good while," Bunny replied. "So your mate's place is kinda just...hidden?"

"Yeah, this side is just left alone." Jack finally got to his feet, shuffling into the water to avoid the hot sand further up. His hoodie felt heavy on his body, and he was already sweating. "It's hidden in the cove. If a human tries to come here, they get turned around and put back on the other side." He sighed in relief when a cool breeze blew against his back.

"So, is he home?" Bunny asked, shielding his eyes to get a better look at the beach house. It was raised on stilts above the sand, with a wooden staircase leading up to the porch and front door. The gray thatch roof and big windows had plants on top and hanging off of them respectively. Bunny heard Jack inhale sharply, but it was too late to cover his ears.

"JAAAAYYYYYY! YOU HOOOOOME?"

The air was still for a moment, ringing slightly with the echo of Jack's shout. Then, from inside the house:

"I AIN'T CARRYING YOU UP THE BEACH AGAIN, LAZY!"

"He's home!" Jack grinned in triumph. "GET OUT HERE, I GOT PEOPLE WITH ME!"

"IF IT'S CLOVER, SHE BETTER HAVE MY DRAGON BALL SET-"

Jack ignored the questioning looks from the Guardians. He was smiling ear-to-ear; partly from the mirth at annoying his friend, and partly from realizing how much he missed exchanges like this. The front door of the house opened, its squeaky hinges almost drowned out by the sound of the wave and the rustling tropical flora.

Julius's head appeared first. He was squinting at the collection of spirits on his beach, as if unsure of who he was actually seeing. After a moment, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He stalled, halfway out the door. Slowly, he pulled it all the way open and stood in the doorway, still gaping.

"Jay, you're not gonna make me walk on the hot sand, are you?" Jack pouted, still kind-of shouting, and leaning weakly on his staff.

"Uh…" Julius looked between all of the Guardians. "C...come in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine North as the honorary grandpa who keeps giving you homemade presents, even when it's not your birthday or a holiday. When those events do roll around, he goes all out! Feel free to leave your thoughts in a review~


	4. Snack Talks

"Hothothothothot-!"

Jack floundered his way up to the steps of the beach house. He had almost accepted Tooth's offer to fly him up, but he declined in exchange for giving Julius an exaggerated sad face, complete with whining. Julius rolled his eyes at this display, but also cast a worried glance at everyone else. It wasn't really characteristic of him, Jack thought. He looked his friend over; physically, he was the same as he'd ever been. He was only a little taller than Jack, though he wasn't as skinny and had a stronger build. His hair was still in dreadlocks, mostly tied back with two - no, three - hanging down freely. He wore an orange ombre tank top and dark blue swim trunks like always, and his eyes were warm brown. His deep brown skin was even darker than usual, thanks to all of the sun he'd surely been getting from bringing summer to part of the world recently.

"What brings you all here?" he asked. "Uh, I mean, welcome. Come in! Do you want to come in? You should come in, it's hot out." Julius held the door open wide, beckoning everyone in out of the island sunshine. Everyone filed in, though North and Bunny had to duck slightly to enter through the door.

The inside of Julius's home was nothing like the opulent Tooth Palace or the busy North Pole workshop. Instead, it was simple and cozy, just like a human's home. Jack welcomed the breeze from the electric fan by the far wall, plus the cool, polished hardwood beneath his feet. The main room had a couch, coffee table, armchair, and beanbags of nautical blues and oranges, plus a pile of pillows. A dining table with two chairs was pushed against the wall of the kitchen. More pots of tropical flowers hung from the ceiling near the window or rested on the windowsill. There was even a flat-screen TV leaning on the wall, just next to the window, situated on top of a wooden stand.

"Where do you find this stuff, man?" Jack asked, eyeing the ladder bookshelf next to the beanbag in the corner. Julius smiled, a bit more relaxed.

"Night market. They sell tons of stuff."

"You've been this year?" Tooth gasped, startling Julius by flying up to his face. He backed away, cautiously nodding.

"What's the night market?" Jack asked.

"Ohh, I forgot you don't know about that." Tooth landed again. "It's a spirit-run event that happens on a few random nights every year." Jack frowned at this.

"I think I've seen that around before. Is that the one that happens in forests and ship docks and stuff?"

"Yes. It just pops up, so you can't really tell where or when it'll be without an invitation." Tooth's shoulders sagged. "I guess that means none of us got one."

All eyes turned to Julius.

"How'd you get one?" Jack asked. Julius shrugged, fiddling with one of his dreadlocks.

"Hallow gave me one. He's been setting up his own booth there for the past few years."

Sandy made a pumpkin shape alongside a question mark. Jack shook his head.

"Not the Jack-o'-Lantern spirit, the actual Halloween spirit."

"Since when was there a difference?" Bunny asked, folding his arms. "The gourd-head's been working that time o' year for ages."

"We don't know the specifics," Jack traded a skeptical look with Julius. "But Hallow's been in charge of the modern-"

"Meaning, like, the commercial-"

"-holiday for at least the last few decades."

The group was silent for a few seconds. Jack wanted to laugh; it had been years since they'd managed to speak together so flawlessly.

"Hhhow did you do that?" North tilted his head bemusedly. Jack and Julius glanced at each other, smirking at the exact same time.

"Habit."

"..."

"Anyway," Jack strode over to the pile of pillows and sat down. "We came here to introduce the Guardians to you, Jay. I was sure we'd all make great pals." he smiled far too innocently at the summer spirit.

"Is that what this is…?" Julius looked over his visitors. "I thought I was in trouble with the moon or something."

"Why would you be in trouble with the Moon?"

"I dunno!" Julius sat down in the beanbag next to Jack's newly-claimed pillow nest. "I don't know how the moon works."

"That's exactly why we're here!" Jack kicked his foot into the air. "Kind of."

"Oh! Feel free to sit down," Julius said, getting back up again. "Sorry, did you all want something to drink? Or eat? I'll go get something…"

Before anyone could object or agree, Julius rounded the corner and went into the kitchen.

"Was expecting just as much a larrikin as you, Frostbite," Bunny said, sitting down on the couch. North and Tooth took the other spots, while Sandy made himself comfortable on the beanbag by the bookshelf. "But he's a bit nervous, eh?"

"Not normally. But he doesn't know you guys yet." Jack replied. Then he gave that same too-innocent smile, though it quickly morphed into a devilish grin. "Give him time. I'm a bad influence."

"I picked the right colors," North said cheerfully, rifling through his sack. He pulled out a large box wrapped in orange paper. "He is going to love it!"

"What'd you get him?"

"Is a surprise!" North shook his finger at Jack.

"Okay, I've got juice and water and soda," Julius came back in the room, carrying a big tray with fruit, glasses, cups, and a pitcher, all of which he set down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Plus some fresh fruit if that's alright."

"What about the chips?" Jack asked, having sank further down into the pillows. Julius sucked his teeth disapprovingly, and Jack laughed softly.

"You were gonna save 'em for yourself, weren't you?"

"Was not! I forgot them."

"Uh-huh," Jack watched him hurry back into the kitchen. "He's so fun to mess with."

"D'you treat all your friends like that?" Bunny asked.

"Like what?"

"Here, a big bowl of them. Happy?" Julius came back, cradling a large bowl full of browned, crispy-looking chips in one arm and using the other hand to hold a stack of smaller bowls. "These are my Nana's recipe."

"Are those plantains?" Tooth asked, already holding a glass of coconut water. Sandy watched Julius set up the bowls, munching on a mango himself.

"Yep, plantain chips." Julius finally got himself situated with a cup of pineapple soda and a portion of the chips. He sat back on his beanbag while the others helped themselves to the snacks. Jack plopped back down with chips and a papaya, leaning to rest his head in Julius's lap with his feet on the arm of the sofa (to Bunny's displeasure.) Julius did nothing to stop this, but he did frown and look over at his guests.

"What are we doing, again?"

"Who are you, Julius St. Ange?" Jack asked, earning a good-natured huff from North for his imitation. "We're having friend time. Learning about each other. You go first."

"Um. Well…" Julius took a sip of his drink. "You said my name. Julius St. Ange. I'm the Keeper of Summer. That means I urge the weather into the pattern it's supposed to go during the summertime. It's a bit harder these days than before, but I try to keep the weather ideal for all the good and fun parts of summer."

"So how did you meet Jack?" Bunny seemed to have perked up in anticipation. Julius smirked and glanced down at Jack's pouting face.

"I was bringing Summer to the Americas. I think we startled each other? And we had the worst language barrier. Jack didn't seem to know what he was doing, and I guess I felt bad for pointing that out and making him feel bad. I invited him to the islands, and this fool made it snow PLUS nearly passed out from the heat. We fought for a while after that, but we made up eventually. Somehow, we're still friends." Julius smiled fondly down at Jack, who stuck his tongue out at him.

"Is your power anything like Jack's?" Tooth asked, setting down her glass and picking up a mango from the tray. "Can you make summer storms?" she gazed at Julius curiously.

"Something like that," Julius swatted Jack's hand away from playing with his hair. "I can work with the Southern Wind to travel, and I can call up thunderstorms or get the clouds to make way for sunlight. All of us Seasonals have weather tied to our emotions somewhat, too, but none of us have full control over nature. I'm sure you know who's job that is."

"So you have met Mother Nature?" North asked, refilling his cup with more juice from the pitcher.

"Yeah. She's the one who gave me my job."

Sandy made a clock and a calendar, followed by a question mark.

"It was a few hundred years ago. I had...well, it's a long story." Julius frowned. "I guess I don't mind, but...it's been a long time since I've talked about it."

"You up for telling it?" Jack asked before dropping his voice to a whisper. "Give 'em a reality check like you did me?" For a moment, Julius looked like he wanted to, but then he shook his head.

"...not now. Not right now."

There was quiet after that. The other Guardians looked at Jack, expecting him to try and cajole Julius into talking, but the winter spirit shrugged at them and munched on the papaya.

Jack was quite proud of his own past, but in the past year, he'd learned from Bunny - the hard way - that memories had many different weights. You couldn't just make someone share.

"We're going around to meet the seasons, Jay. You wanna come with?" Jack asked, reaching up to squeeze his friend's face.

"Ew, your hands are sticky!" Julius squirmed away as Jack laughed. "Where are you going now?"

"Probably Clover's. You wanna get your comics back, right?"

"Clover..." Jack heard Bunny mutter to himself. He saw the pooka's eyes widen. "So you're friends with that ankle-biter?!"

"What? Clover's not a kid," Jack replied. "She di- uh, became a spirit when she was 15."

"So she's a kid." Bunny deadpanned. "Just like you, just like him." he pointed to both Jack and Julius. Both seemed to disapprove, but they didn't object further.

"Clo's gonna be easy to find. She stays at home a lot, especially when it's not her season." Jack finally sat up, allowing Julius to shift around more comfortably. "And her home is actually with another good friend of mine."

Here was the return of that devilish grin. Everyone present could swear the temperature dropped 10 degrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR REFERENCE: To me, Jack resembles a 16 year-old who already hit part of puberty - got his final voice (b/c Chris Pine omg,) maybe hasn't hit his final height. Julius, as mentioned, looks the same age but a little taller and stronger. Jack is always a little so-and-so, and it's bound to rub off on his friends :^)


	5. Stairway to Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I missed the Monday update! It was Labor Day and I treated it just like the weekend ^^; I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless.

"Were you just not going to tell me you had this?!"

Jack was scowling, poking at all the apps on the slightly outdated smartphone. Julius put his arm on Jack's shoulder and watched him with a smirk.

"Night market."

"Where are you getting night market money? Do you need money for that?" Jack looked up from the Settings.

"Night market runs on trade, mostly," North said, getting up with the orange-wrapped present. "Trade of goods or services. Here, Julius, this is for you." he held the package out with a grin.

"Really?" Julius took the package with both hands. It was large, but wasn't as big as the previous guitar and surfboard North had thought to bring, so Jack quietly tried to puzzle out what was inside. Julius looked up and, after seeing North's encouraging nod, carefully pulled off the paper and opened the box.

"Oh-!"

A teal-blue digital camera peeked out of white tissue paper wrapping. It had grips on its sides and a silver finish to the lens. The better half of the box was taken up by what looked like a book. Moving aside the paper, Julius looked over its cover.

"A scrapbook…"

"The camera is waterproof! And it has a touch of enchantment. You do not need a printer or computer to place the photos in the book." North winked and smiled.

"Thank you!" was all Julius could say. Seeing his eyes all lit up and the joyful grin on his face, Jack couldn't help but smile too. He sat the phone down on the coffee table.

"So where is it we're goin' to meet Li'l Lady Spring?" Bunny asked. Jack raised an eyebrow at the slightly mocking tone, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he smirked and opened the door, stepping onto the porch. The sun was still out, but it was ducking below the horizon and lengthening the shadows of the trees.

"Oh, you're gonna love it, Cottontail." Jack said. "We're probably gonna run into someone else there, too. It's gonna be great."

"I don't like the tone o' your voice there, mate," Bunny replied. "What are you-"

CLICK.

Neither of them had noticed that Julius had also walked onto the porch until they heard him take a picture of the horizon. He continued down the stairs, ignoring the fond stares from the others, and took a close picture of the foliage lining the beach.

"I knew I picked the right one," North laughed from inside the house. Toothiana looked happily between both of them as she fluttered into the open. She landed next to Jack, placing her hands on the porch railing to watch the waves. It had been a while since she'd looked so peaceful, Jack thought. In the past two years after getting back into collecting teeth herself, Baby Tooth and some of the other tiny fairies had adjusted to instructing themselves around even better than before. Their Queen could often stand to take a break, even though she seemed so much more content to do her own collections again.

"So what were you sayin' about where we were goin'?" Bunny snapped Jack out of his thoughts. Jack chuckled to himself.

"I told you, you're gonna love it."

North and Bunny shared a skeptical Look, but of course they didn't think Jack would put them into any danger. And he wouldn't! Even though they knew this, it was with a little hesitation that North handed him another snowglobe.

"Jay, you wanna try this?" Jack called to Julius, who was taking a picture of a large tortoise that had come onto the sand to investigate all the ruckus. He slipped the camera into his pocket and jogged back up to the porch.

"Try what?"

"Magic portal. Wanna make it appear?" Jack held out the snowglobe for Julius to take. The summer spirit held it up, looking through the glass at the sun.

"Whoah."

"That a yes?"

"Yeah…"

Just say the name of where you want to go, give a shake, and throw it out!" North advised. Julius nodded, glancing at Jack with a lopsided smile.

"Okay. Uh...if y'all are ready. Shinigami Apartment C-block."

"Wait, what?!"

Bunny's indignant cry couldn't stop Julius from tossing the globe. Another swirling circle of magic appeared in the air, and Julius yelped in happy surprise.

"Okay, let's go!" Jack said, taking advantage of Bunny's shock and roughly grabbing his wrist. The Pooka struggled, but momentum was against him.

"What the bloody-!"

They disappeared into the portal. Julius looked at the remaining Guardians, seeming almost apologetic.

"I promise we're going somewhere safe. I don't know why that just happened, but...well."

With a beckoning motion to the others, Julius jumped in himself. North looked between Tooth and Sandy, all very hesitant, but unwilling to let the portal close before they got in. They followed suit just before the magic collapsed, leaving a silent sunset beach.

On the other side, they landed in a clean, gray stairwell, just in front of a balcony railing and a door with kanji lettering on its nameplate. There, they found Bunny in the middle of a shouting match with Jack - though it was strangely one-sided, with Jack actually trying to hush the other for a change.

"You're gonna get us caught, Cottontail!" Jack hissed. Bunny was having none of it.

"Why the hell did you open a portal into the domain of reapers?!" he shot back. "Are you trying to start fights now?"

"They're not gonna fight us for no reason," Julius insisted, looking around nervously. "But security ain't gonna be kind to us if you keep yelling! I didn't know we'd get dropped right in the stairwell…"

"You brought us to...a shinigami apartment?" Tooth recalled what Julius had said before shaking the globe. She was less upset than Bunny, but she was still frowning sternly. "Was that supposed to be a prank?"

"It's not a prank!" Julius balled his hands into fists. "Clover lives here!"

"WHY would the Keeper of Spring be livin' here?" Bunny touched a hand...paw? He touched his boomerang holster with a scowl.

"Is someone talking about me?"

Bunny would never admit it, but Jack saw him jump at the sudden muffled, unfamiliar voice. The knob on the door jostled and turned, before slowly creaking open.


	6. Don't be Rude

"C-crikey…"

There was a reason that Bunny had called her an ankle-biter. Admittedly, it only made sense in a joking way, since she definitely wasn't a toddler or even a child by age. But one look at the spirit standing in the doorway and the joke made much more sense.

She was shorter than everyone present, except Sandy. She was quite a bit more petite than Tooth. Wavy, dark brown hair fell past her shoulders, kept out of her face by a red kerchief. Bright green eyes stood out on her tanned face. The big t-shirt she was wearing made her look even smaller than she was, and the shirt's hem came down past her hips. Only the ends of her shorts, coming to the middle of her thigh, could be seen.

"Whaaaaat…" She surveyed the crowd of spirits on the stairwell. "Jack? Jay? What's going on?"

"Hey, Clo~" Jack grinned, nudging Bunny sharply with his elbow. "I brought some friends over that I wanted you to meet."

"Easter Bunny?" Clover looked up at said Pooka, who seemed to be having major trouble gathering his words. "I know him. Is that Santa Claus…?"

"Can we come in, Clover?" Julius asked. "We were hoping to properly introduce everyone to you, and you to them."

"I mean, I guess. Not like I was doing anything." she quirked her lips, not actually bothered but willing to complain.

"Bet you were drowning in snacks and games, you nerd," Jack suddenly poked at Clover's head. She stuck her tongue out, and Jack snickered quietly.

"Come in, then. Never thought I'd see Santa Claus again."

"Again?" North questioned, his brow wrinkled as he studied the smaller spirit. Clover gave a little nod and smile.

"I caught a glimpse of you when I was little. I'm sure of it."

"O-oh…" North didn't look surprised, as surely it was a moment that happened for at least a solid few children, but he seemed to be thinking back, searching for a young, human Clover in his memories.

"Come in, come in." Clover waved her hand at the group. "Can the last one please close the door? Also take off your shoes or Tenshi'll kill me."

"Tenshi...is that the, ah, reaper spirit that lives here?" Tooth asked, looking between North carefully pulling his boots off and Sandy shutting the door after tugging Bunny inside.

"Yep." Clover walked into a room down the hall from the entrance. "He's the biggest mother hen you'll ever meet and he hates it when I don't do my chores, so let's keep the floors clean!"

"So you seriously live here. With a Reaper." Bunny made no move to follow the others as they squeezed into the hallway.

"What's wrong with Reapers?" Clover called. Everyone else, minus Bunny, filed in the same way Clover had gone. It led them to...a regular open living and dining room. Clean tile flooring in the kitchen part up to the dining table, meeting plain cream carpet that continued up to the wall with door leading to the balcony. There was a blanket tossed over the back of the sofa, which was facing an older model television. Julius sat down at the flat square table - chabudai, in the center of the carpeted area between the sofa and TV. He gently pushed away a pile of books, colored pencils, and snack wrappers to make room for himself. Jack sat down to his left, resting his staff against the wall.

"Make yourselves at home," Clover said to everyone still standing. "I'll try to find some tasty things…" she began to mumble to herself as she rummaged through the kitchen cabinets.

"Why so bitter, Cottontail?" Jack leaned back and called out in the direction of the hallway. Tooth sat down at Julius's right side, looking worried. Sandy floated toward the kitchen, unwilling to get involved. North glared at Bunny, who was begrudgingly making his way in with a distrustful frown on his face.

"Can it." the Pooka replied to Jack. He stopped just before his feet touched the kitchen tile.

"Whoah. Who trampled your carrot patch?" Clover turned around, frowning, with a cup in each hand. "What's with the attitude?"

"Bunny, don't be rude." North said gruffly. "We are here to learn, not to condemn!"

"I heard you guys yelling about Reapers. You got something against them?" Clover asked as she began setting cups down on top of the chabudai. They were mostly mismatched; glasses of different sizes and plastic cups with writing or cartoon characters on them.

"I'm just not understanding why someone like you is hanging around in a place like full of death spirits." Bunny finally walked all the way into the room. He walked to the glass balcony door, peering out at the courtyard below with squinted eyes.

"Whadda you know about me?" Clover asked. Her tone wasn't hostile, but it was very matter-of-fact. "Things are chill here. I like it. I've been liking it for lots of years now."

"That's what we're here for, Clo." Jack said, sitting back up to examine the cup in front of him. "We can get some perspective."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I don't mind you coming to visit." Clover made one more trip back to the table, this time carrying a large bottle of barley tea. "Sorry I don't have more to offer. Tenshi's supposed to be getting groceries this evening."

"Did you eat all the snacks, then?" Julius asked, smiling as he pointed out the colorful trash mixed in with the books and art supplies. Clover pouted at him.

"I wouldn't have run out if Tenshi kept them stocked up."

"Clover, you should be more responsible. Just because you don't get permanently affected by food anymore, doesn't mean you can just keep eating~" Jack wagged his finger at her, putting on a nagging voice that suited him quite poorly. Clover chuckled and sat down at the corner between him and Julius.

"Spot on. Are you gonna show that off to him later?"

"Um, I value my life, thanks."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bunny asked. He hadn't sat down yet, instead watching with the others as Jack bantered with his young friends. Jack rolled his eyes, almost unwilling to explain that he was joking.

He did not get to answer, however. There came the sound of the front door opening, and someone's voice announcing their arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, Clover is small. Jack is about 5'9", and I think Tooth is 5'4" in the movie? So Clover is between 5'0" and 5'2".
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	7. Frenemies?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late upload! I hope everyone who was in the path of Hurricane Florence is safe. I had to evacuate myself, though the storm ended up changing direction after my zone got to safety. Stay strong, all, and I offer my love <3

"Whose shoes are these?"

No-one made a sound. The Guardians, minus Jack, looked tense, but as footsteps came closer to the main room, Clover watched Jack and Julius with a smirk. They were sitting up straight, obviously holding back obnoxious grins.

"Clover? Did you invite guests today?"

"Heyyy, Tenshi~" Clover called as the person stepped into the room.

What was everyone expecting a grim reaper to look like, Jack wondered? Had they been expecting an old man? An edgy, leather-clad person? A straight-up skeleton in a cloak? As he looked over Tenshi for the first time in almost two years, he surmised that "somewhat-gothic teenager with groceries" had not been in their realm of possibility. That was how Jack would label him, anyway, if he had to pick a label. Skull graphic t-shirt, black jeans, black-and-white sneakers. He was a little pale, had messy black hair, and at least two bags of groceries in each hand, plus a small backpack slung over his shoulder. There was silence as Tenshi's amber-yellow eyes scanned the room. He looked confused, and then...he zeroed in on Jack.

A uniquely mixed expression of annoyance and disgust took over his face. Above his eyes, his most prominent features crinkled closer together. Jack seized the opportunity and pulled out his most charming smile.

"How's it going, Tenshi? You been feeding those Caterpillars more since I last saw you?"

"J-Jack!" Tooth's interjection came right on time. Jack and Julius had burst into laughter as Tenshi's eyebrows furrowed even more at being made fun of. But then Tenshi had taken an aggressive stomp toward the group, and it was just a bit too angry for Bunny's liking. He took on a stronger stance, making Tenshi turn his glare to him.

"What the heck is going on?" he asked - more like demanded an answer.

"Can...can everyone just calm down a little?" Clover asked, though she was pulling her top lip inward, definitely trying not to laugh. "These guys came by to visit us, Tenshi. Diplomacy stuff or something, I guess."

"Who in their right mind would bring those two on a diplomacy trip? That's like bringing foxes to a rabbit burrow!" Tenshi nearly slammed the grocery bags onto the kitchen table. There was the sound of plastic containers and glass jars thudding against the wood, but nothing sounded like it broke. Clover immediately went to investigate the contents.

"Why all this hostility, poking fun?" North asked, both concerned and stern. "Are we not meeting your friends, Jack?"

"Oh yeah, Tenshi is one of my BEST friends." Jack rolled his eyes. "Best nag, best nerd, and best reactions."

"Get out of my home!" Tenshi snapped. He made no more physical advances toward Jack, however. Instead, he grabbed an apron from a hook by the fridge and tied it tightly around himself. The look on his face was even more sour than before. "You're always like this. Learn some respect before you go bothering people!"

"More importantly, where are the snacks?" Clover said, unpacking the grocery bags. She pulled out a loaf of bread, a bag of penne pasta, some bottles of mineral water...several fresh vegetables...packages of tofu, fish, meat...but nothing that could be considered a snack. "You promised you'd get some this time!"

"I didn't promise anything like that." Tenshi said, his voice still brusque. "Besides, just because food won't affect you permanently anymore doesn't mean that you can just keep eating, especially eating junk. And besides even that, you need to stop spending so much money on junk food in general! It won't kill you to skip the convenience store when you go shopping. You spend more money there than wherever you went in the first place-"

Jack, Clover, and Julius all shared a look, not even bothering to hide their grins. Tenshi was less forceful and more harried in his actions now. He began setting up a cutting board on the counter, and pots and pans on the stove.

"Um…" the poor Guardians looked like they didn't know what to do. Jack could see that Bunny was still wary, and somewhat annoyed, though he thought he could see a little bit of sympathy for Tenshi. Probably remembering the kangaroo comments Jack threw his way in the past.

"Alright, sorry." he gave a resigned sigh. "Sorry I dropped in without telling you, and...sorry for making fun of your eyebrows." Julius nodded alongside him.

"Hmph." Tenshi didn't seem to really be kicking them out, at least. He brought out a strainer, a bowl, and a bag of rice.

"Okay." Clover pouted, finishing her search and finding no chips, candy, or soda. She turned to the guests. "So, what was the, um, diplomatic meeting about? Introductions or something?"

"We're kind of going around to meet other spirits. Improve the, uh, rapport between the Guardians and...not-guardians." Jack finally took a sip of his tea.

"Oh. So Julius tagged along too?"

"Something like that."

"I wanted to see my friends." Julius said. "I'm pretty much done with the weather for now, so I figured, ya know?"

"Okay then. What do I have to do?" Clover asked. She plopped back down on the carpet floor.

"Just introduce yourself, explain what you do." Jack pulled one of the books from the floor over to himself and began to flip through it.

"Huh. Well...My full name is Carina Fioritura, but everyone calls me Clover or Clo."

"What happened to Lady Spring?" It sounded like Bunny had tried to ask that under his breath, but Clover definitely caught it.

"Lady Spring is something the previous Keeper went for. It's not really my style, though."

"That's something I've been meaning to ask about." Tooth said carefully. "I think all of us have met spirits that came before you. Old Man Winter, the Summer Sprites, and Lady Spring...Bunny mentioned Jack o' Lantern earlier." She nodded to Bunny, who rested his chin in his hand. "The issue is, we don't know when you all came into being, or how, or why. Not that it's a negative thing that you're here, of course, but…"

"Well, I didn't get to know Lady Spring personally." Clover focused her gaze down at the table. "I've only gotten to see her a couple times. She was really pretty, really vibrant. But the point is, Mother Nature passed the position to me. She said that she thought I deserved it, and she wanted me to carry on that role. I don't know her reasons, either."

"You're nothin' like Lady Spring was, in personality." Bunny said. He still looked to be in a stormy mood, but he softened his voice just a little. "You're not incompetent or anything like that, though. You've got a strong power and you use it well."

"Thanks…" Clover seemed bemused by the praise. Jack felt the same way, and he looked at Bunny with a raised eyebrow. The Pooka said nothing more. Tenshi had begun chopping vegetables. Clover cleared her throat.

"So yeah, my powers are all Spring-related, I guess. I can influence plant growth, and cause a rain shower." To demonstrate, Clover gestured to the TV set. There was a little potted succulent on its top. It was by no means unhealthy, but it was barely peeking over the edge of its pot. Clover squinted her eyes and concentrated, and suddenly the plant began to stretch. It grew like a vine, up and behind the TV's antenna, sprouting more and more plump leaves, until it stopped just short of the window. It was easily a foot taller than it had been before.

"Wow, very nice!" North said. Jack could practically see the wheels turning in his head, thinking up a good present for the younger spirit. Sandy clapped his hands together, making an exclamation point above his head. Clover smiled broadly.

"Thanks~ ah? Hey, get outta my sketchbook!" she suddenly leaned toward Jack, who was staying on one particular page.

"Is this of me…?" he asked, about to hold it up. Clover reached for it, but Jack held it up above his head. "Aww, were you drawing me, Clo?"

"Shut up, you dork, give it back!" Clover whined. "I'm not drawing just you!"

"So it's true!"

"Hey, were you gonna draw me too?" Julius asked before reaching up and swiping the book from Jack. "I wanna see!"

"No! I don't like showing unfinished ones-"

"I wanna see the finished ones, then!"

"Give it back or I'm drawing you as Raditz!"

"The disrespect!" Julius looked horrified.

"Is...this how all teenagers are?" North asked Tooth under his breath. The other Guardians looked between the squabbling young spirits on the floor, and the quiet young spirit nonchalantly cooking at the kitchen. Guardian dealings were usually in kids under 12, and completely human, at that. It had been many years since they'd had to pay attention to a teenager, though it stung a bit to phrase it that way. They were still getting used to keeping up with little children, in fact!

"Ah."

The bickering didn't stop, but the older Guardians turned to look at Tenshi, who seemed to have just realized something important. He turned to Bunny, not looking at all hostile like he did when first seeing the unfamiliar group of spirits.

"You don't eat meat, do you? Are you okay with just vegetable tempura and soup?"

"Tempura! Big bro, you should've told me!" Clover gasped. Tenshi jumped as if he'd been zapped by lightning. The annoyed look on his face returned, though it was mixed with sheer dread.

"Huhhh? Are you cooking for us all, big bro?"

Clover slowly shut her mouth as she realized what she'd done.

"Whooah, seriously, big bro? That's so kind of you!"

"Aww, big bro, I knew you loved us!"

The devilish grins returned to Jack and Julius' faces, along with a growing scowl on Tenshi's face.

"Get out of my home! I always cook dinner after work and it's not for you!"

Laughter came once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do feel free to leave a comment!


	8. What Reapers Do

"Hold on a bloody minute."

All eyes turned toward Bunny. The Pooka didn't seem to care about the tension making its way back into the atmosphere, and the glares he was getting from his own companions.

"What's wrong?" Tenshi asked. He set aside the vegetables, now coated in flour and seasoning. "Do you not like tempura?"

Bunny looked like he was going to burst. His mouth opened, then closed. His lips curled back in a quiet snarl, and then he felt a hand on his wrist. Tooth's hand. Bunny sank further into the couch.

He didn't look angry, just...intensely confused. Possibly scared, even. Perhaps that was normal, given that his assumptions and expectations were getting torn down with no context.

Reapers were cold. Calculating. Driven by duty, obligation, nothing more. That was all Bunny knew. And yet, even though his big ears had caught Tenshi grumbling about having to use up so many groceries in one night, he was cooking a bigger meal anyway. Bunny caught another glimpse of Tenshi's face. He looked tired, still a bit annoyed. Clover said something, and Tenshi rolled his eyes, but continued to slice up food with just a hint of a smile.

The Pooka had so many questions. As much as he hated being wrong himself, he hated this sudden warp in understanding. He wanted things to be clear more than anything, but ever since the battle with Pitch, he'd been trying to think more before he spoke, and refrain from straining hs relationships like before. That didn't mean he had to like being here, though.

"Wow, the sun's almost down." Jack commented, looking at the sky through the balcony door. "I guess we'll meet more people tomorrow."

"I suppose no news is good news when it comes to our workplaces." North added. "Why not rest for a while and continue meeting later on?"

"Excuse me, but the food is almost ready. Could everyone please go wash up?"

Even with such a serious countenance, Tenshi really was a mother hen. He'd quickly gotten food prepared all over the kitchen - the rice cooker, the veggies being watchfully fried, the simmering miso soup, the salmon grilling and making a wonderful scent. Now he was clucking at Clover to set both tables and refill everyone's drinks. He started serving dinner one at a time, with the older Guardians sitting at the dining table and the younger spirits at the chabudai. After a mumbled thanks for the meal, Jack twisted his mouth into a frown.

"It kind of feels like...we're at a kiddie table." he said, looking from the kitchen to the living room.

"Sit up straight. You look and feel like a child because you're slouching." Tenshi replied, looking critically at the food on Jack's side of the table. "You also refused a lot of vegetables. Both of you did!" he looked at Clover's plate now, though the springtime spirit looked unrepentant.

"You said yourself that food won't affect us permanently anymore," Jack huffed.

"But that doesn't mean you can just eat-"

"You've said this a million times, but it really doesn't apply to us." Julius interrupted the start of Tenshi's rant. "It applies to you and other spirits, but not us."

"What's that mean?" Bunny asked. He absently noticed that Tenshi and Clover were the only ones with chopsticks. The reaper hadn't asked any preferences before getting Clover to set the table, and Bunny was willing to attribute the decision to Clover. After Tenshi had asked about Bunny's diet, however, it was hard to ignore the possibility that he really was considerate.

"It means that grim reapers are different from spirits like Season Keepers," Clover replied. "Jack, Julius, and I don't actually need to eat."

Sandy gently tapped his cup with his fork. Once everyone was looking at him, he made three separate pictures above his head. One was a cluster of stereotypical creature silhouettes, including a rounded sheet ghost with eyes, a feminine face with bat wings, and the likeness of Pitch Black; the next was a group of faces, including Jack, Julius, Clover, and himself; the final was a cluster of faces that included Tenshi, North, Bunny, and Tooth. Tenshi nodded after looking the pictures over.

"He's right, there are three types of supernatural creatures when it comes to physical sustenance." Tenshi started. "There are spirits and creatures that don't need food and can't physically eat it, or get sustained by another source anyway. Then there are spirits who don't need food but can still ingest it properly, and enjoy it even though they'll never actually be hurt by not eating. Finally, there are spirits and creatures that are still mortal in some ways, and need to eat in some frequency to survive."

"So is that why the grim reapers have this...community?" North asked. "To make living easier?"

"Pretty much. We have housing close to our workplace, an infirmary, a supermarket…"

"Back up a second there." Bunny said. "Isn't your workplace anywhere there's death?'

"..."

"Maybe now's a good time for Tenshi to talk about himself and his job anyway," Tooth said, trying to diffuse the tension already resurfacing.

"Yeah, Tenshi, tell us what your job is." Jack said, shoveling a forkful of rice into his mouth. The talk about food made him realize that they were all eating a lot today. Not that this would stop him.

"Hm. I'm a grim reaper, you know that."

"No no, give us details, big bro. The ins and outs!" Clover said. Tenshi sighed.

"I am a grim reaper, one of about 700 living at the Japan headquarters. There are reaper headquarters for nearly every country, by the way. We've had to expand ever since the world started forming societies."

"Um, sorry, but...how old are you?" Jack asked. Tenshi rolled his eyes.

"415 this November."

"So you weren't around when grim reapers started being grim reapers?"

"No, I wasn't."

"Jack, you said a lot of your friends were younger than you." North commented. "Is Tenshi one of the few older ones?"

"Yeah, he's only got a century on me. Julius is only a few decades younger than me. And Cwover's onwy 214~" Jack pursed his lips. Clover stuck out her tongue, and Tenshi frowned at their poor manners.

"Tenshi." Tooth took a risky glance at Bunny before speaking. "Could you explain what exactly a reaper does?" Tenshi saw Bunny tense up, and he raised a big, expressive eyebrow. He took his time choosing his words.

"A grim reaper uses a supernatural weapon, usually a scythe of some kind, to cut away the bonds between a soul and the Earth after a human dies."

"Cutting...bonds?"

"Yes. Every living thing is bound to this realm. The physical bodies of all things are just a part of nature, but souls belong on their own plane of existence." Tenshi pushed around his salmon, sighing quietly. "When a sentient being dies, its body immediately starts returning to nature, but the soul is unsure of itself. Sometimes the soul will attempt to break away on its own, but there are still connections keeping it here. As a reaper, my job is to sever those connections and lead the spirit to the start of its next path."

"And how often d'you do that a day?"

"Huh?" Tenshi looked over at Bunny.

"How often d'you do that a day?" Bunny repeated. "What's your quota?"

"I mean, it depends. Humans die all the time; that's why there are so many reapers…" Suddenly, Tenshi's eyes narrowed. "I hope you're not implying that we set a number and try to match it."

"Bunny…?" North sounded more concerned than indignant, but Bunny refused to meet his eyes.

"Reapers don't kill people. That's not how it works. As a matter of fact, we get in trouble if we tamper with human lifespans." Tenshi set down his chopsticks, looking seriously at Bunny, who refused to meet his eyes as well.

"I guess it's a sharp way to run a business." Bunny scoffed. Tenshi's frown dropped a little farther.

"It's not like we're a corporation! Reapers are chosen for the position and we do the work accordingly. And it's not like we're robots, either! You think we can do this job and not feel anything? You'd know better if you knew the type of sh-"

Tenshi's increasingly angry tirade was cut off by a very out-of-place burst of rock music. Jack almost laughed at the timely censorship, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Tenshi's eyes snapped over to his backpack, which was over by the the wall leading back into the hallway. He sighed, regained enough composure to excuse himself, and went over to look through the bag. He pulled out a flat, black tablet, though just as he pressed a button on the top, the music stopped. He looked swiped through some things before sighing in annoyance.

"Why does he need my help?"

"Something wrong?" Clover asked.

"Akuma needs help with a reaping."

"What? Really?"

"Ugh. Hopefully, I'll be back soon." Tenshi pulled something else out of the bag: a long, plain black robe. He slipped into it and started down the hallway. "Sorry about this."

"...hey, wait, can we come?" Jack scooted himself back to watch Tenshi.

"Hell no, either stay here or go home!"

"Wait, Jack, what are you doing?" Julius hissed as Jack got up and quickly stepped toward the hallway.

"I have an idea. Come on, you guys."


	9. A Short-Sighted Plan

Tenshi was already gone when everyone worriedly entered the hallway after Jack. They were met with a swirling mass of magic in front of the front door, with Jack sticking his foot inside. It was similar to the portals created from North's snowglobes, but this one was filled with darker colors.

"That's efficient," Jack said. "They won't close if someone's partway through."

"Jack, I know what you're thinking and it's a bad idea." Clover frowned at him. Jack pouted back at her.

"As if you don't go and mess with him at work?"

"I don't bother him while he's actively doing field work!" Clover retorted. "I don't like seeing stuff like that."

"So he's gone to do a reaping, right?" Tooth asked. She looked somber, fiddling with her hands.

"Yep. We can go see what it is reapers do!" Jack put himself partway into the portal, holding his arms out for balance and nearly smacking his staff into the apartment wall. He fought back a grimace; it felt like half of his body was enveloped in thick fluid without being wet. Thick air? It felt awful, but he couldn't leave without convincing the rest to come and see-

"Waugh!"

"Jack?!"

Neither the unique noise from his own mouth, nor the alarmed cries of his friends, helped Jack as he teetered back, being pushed from the other side. He planted his foot on the floor, but just as he regained his balance, he leaned the other way, realizing that someone was grabbing his hand now.

It hadn't occurred to him that he'd be visible on the other side even though he wasn't fully in the portal. He'd thought it was more of a tunnel than a door. Whoops.

He felt Clover and Julius grab onto him, and surprisingly, even Bunny. Well, it wasn't a complete surprise. He knew the Pooka cared about him, but it was touching to know that the unpleasant conversation earlier wasn't enough to stop his protective reflex.

They were doing good, Jack thought, but suddenly there was a harsh yank from beyond the portal, and he all but launched away from his friends. The wood of his staff fell away from his fingers, and he instantly tried to grab it again, quietly panicking when he felt nothing. The "tunnel" of the portal felt a lot shorter, and within a second he felt the nighttime air on his face. The hand had an iron grip on his wrist, and Jack was pulled down to the sidewalk. He heard so much noise: cars, talking, music, and...swearing.

"YOU ABSOLUTE F-ING IDIOT!"

Swearing directed at him.

"Huh..." Jack looked around, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness being punctuated by neon. He yelped as the same iron grip pulled him up by his hood. He met Tenshi's furious glare with as innocent and nervous a smile he could muster.

"Heyy, Tenshi…"

"Are you a complete dumba-"

"LOOK OUT!"

And here he was, being tossed again. He grazed the side of a building and winced as the bricks scraped against his hand. He finally looked at their surroundings. They were in a street between two districts, it seemed. Neon lights and questionable advertisements were flashing just a little ways off, but the other side was quickly darkening with shops closing and people going home. He saw Tenshi closest to him, where it seemed the portal had been. It was gone now, but three deep gashes ran horizontal along the wall that had been behind it. Tenshi was gripping a scythe, looking stressed, no doubt increased by Jack appearing here. Jack followed Tenshi's eyes, and at last he saw what was causing all the trouble here.

It was nearly three stories tall, compared to the buildings around it. It was a spindly, disproportionate mass of limbs and skin. Jack couldn't tell if it was gray or blue in color, but he could clearly see glowing red eyes looking down at Tenshi. He balled his hands into fists, missing his staff more every second.

"Sorry for throwing you, hon!"

Jack jumped; he hadn't realized someone was behind him. He turned around and saw red eyes again, but they were much more normal, even playful. He felt like he'd met this person once before, but his memory couldn't place the chipper voice and shiny, snow-white hair tied up in a messy bun.

"Are you okay?" the stranger (?) asked. Jack nodded slowly.

"Yeah. What the heck is that thing?" he scooted away from where the giant monster was. The white-haired person clutched a sickle in both hands, but smiled sadly at Jack before nodding at the ground. Jack looked down and saw the chain. It was dirty and heavy-looking, travelling from the ankle of the monster to the ground of the alley behind them all.

"That is what happens when angry spirits stay attached to this world."

"What? Attached?"

"No time to explain! Get back!"

He was pulled away yet again, and this time Jack reached for the sill of the nearest window. He hoisted himself up to the next one and climbed to the roof like this, as fast as he could. On the roof, he could see the top of the spirit, and how it towered over Tenshi and the other reaper. He saw the reapers look at each other, exchange a nod, and turn back to the spirit with battle-ready stances.


	10. No Harm, Much Foul

Reapers did not kill. It was not their job to tamper with lifespans.

But Tenshi was no stranger to the feeling of murderous intent.

He didn't really want to kill Jack, of course, but that obnoxious, reckless idiot made his blood boil. What was he thinking, playing in the portal? He should consider himself lucky that Tenshi had spotted him. He'd tried to push him back through at first, but had frantically pulled him out when the monstrous spirit saw them. That quick action, which was definitely out of necessity and not care or worry, had saved both of their heads from those sharp nails. Really, it was like Jack had no foresight at all.

"Look alive, Tenshi!" the other reaper, and his friend, Akuma, shouted.

Oh, right. The spirit.

Akuma and Tenshi shared look, red eyes gleaming at amber ones. Tenshi nodded at him, holding his scythe tightly.

There was a harrowing screech from the giant spirit. Akuma rushed around it first, slicing at its legs. Tenshi moved just as swiftly to the other side. He hooked his blade around the wrist, where a shackle rattled the chain leading to the ground.

More ghostly wails rose from the beast. As Tenshi and Akuma hacked away at the shackles and chains, the bonds visibly started to weaken. The reapers jumped back one last time, landing on either side of the base of the chains.

"Well, this is your job, Akuma!" Tenshi called. "Finish it." Akuma flashed a toothy grin at him.

"On it!"

He held his sickles high and brought them down against the chains. They burst with small flashes of light, and steam encompassed the spirit. Tenshi heard a yell from the rooftops. At least Jack wasn't hurt.

"There we go."

Tenshi looked back toward Akuma. The other reaper was storing away his sickles and pulling out his tablet. He flicked his finger across the screen, and Tenshi couldn't help but step over to peek.

"You caused a lot of trouble. But you couldn't help it, poor thing." Akuma sighed. He looked up from the tablet screen's file. Tenshi followed suit, and they were able to see the real form of that angry, monstrous ghost.

"Jack!"

"Shhh…" that probably wasn't the best reaction to give the panicking spirits rushing toward him on the rooftop. Jack waved his arms and stood up. "I'm fine. But look down there." He smiled gratefully as Clover pushed his staff into his hands. He gripped it as hard as he could.

"Ah, it's Akuma." Clover peered down at the street below. "Is that the spirit they're reaping?"

"Yeah. It was a huge monster before! It was crazy-"

"Guys, hush, I wanna hear this." Julius said.

The Guardians behind them looked completely nonplussed. Bunny seemed about to explode once again, but Jack did nothing but beckon them over with a finger to his lips.

The steam had finally cleared, and a normal-sized human stood looking around at everything. He looked scared. Frightened eyes, angry scowl. His shirt was stained red on the bottom front half, with a visible rip in the fabric over his midriff. Where there had once been chains was now a single, bright string between the man's wrist and the concrete of the alley. Akuma slowly walked toward him.

"Nakamura Daiki. Is that your name?" his voice carried through the quiet street.

"Who are you?" the spirit barked. Akuma's calm expression didn't waver.

"I am Hitsugaya Akuma. Are you Nakamura Daiki?"

"Y-yes…"

Akuma stopped just an arm's length away from him. He held his tablet down at his side.

"On August 5, 2014, you met someone in the alley here. Do you remember that?"

"What? How do you know about that?!" Daiki backed away slightly, his brow furrowing. The watchers on the rooftop tensed, but neither Akuma nor Tenshi so much as flinched.

"You met someone and tried to do dealings with them. Do you remember that?"

"Who are you…?"

"Do you remember it, Nakamura Daiki?"

"I…"

His stance was less defensive. Akuma asked no more questions, and Daiki's hand moved to the rip in his shirt. He gasped quietly, the sound just barely reaching everyone's ears.

"At 1:00 a.m., you fought that person, and at 1:04 you breathed your last."

"I'm…"

Akuma began walking again, slowly and steadily. He stopped just in front of the man, pulling out one of his sickles.

"It's time to rest, okay? You can't stay in this world any longer."

"WAI-" A cut-off shout from the roof.

Akuma swung. The bright string split clean, and it disintegrated like dust. Its light traveled up to Daiki's arm, spreading to his entire body until he was covered in a white glow. Akuma put his tablet away in his robe and held out his hand. The form of Daiki began to morph, fluidly spinning into a ball. It landed in Akuma's palm, and he placed it into the fold of his robe.

"Okay, finally done. You guys are safe! You can come down now!" Akuma called to the roof.

"What just happened?" Jack called back. Akuma gave a soft laugh.

"I reaped his soul! Was that your first time seeing?" he cleaved the air in front of him with his sickle. Tenshi hurried over, and Tooth gasped as a portal opened up on the roof next to her. Akuma and Tenshi stepped through the one on the ground and popped out by the rest of the group.

"Wow, such a big audience! You're lucky you're not human, or we'd have to wipe some memories~" Akuma chirped.

"What happened to him?" Bunny sounded just as shaken as he looked. "He turned into light-"

"Oh, his soul is right here." Akuma reached into his robe and pulled out a simple black pouch. "I've got to release him at the Station so he can go on to the afterlife."

"Why'd you call me for that? Normally you can handle an aggressive ghost." Tenshi said. "But more importantly…" once again, his mouth dropped into a deep frown.

"What were you thinking?!" he shouted at Jack. "You're over 300 years old and you don't know better than to mess around with someone else's magic? You're more foolish than I thought!"

"I saw a chance and I took it," Jack snapped back. His expression had darkened, and he looked up at Tenshi with a similar scowl. "I wanted to show these guys what reapers actually did so they wouldn't think you guys were murderers!"

"Of course we're not murderers!" Tenshi's face was turning red. Everyone looked on nervously. "But what they think isn't our problem! Our job isn't your business, and meddling like you did is more of a burden than false assumptions have ever been!"

"Uh, okay, can we not scream about this?" Clover winced. Tenshi spun around, fixing his glare on the Guardians.

"I want you all to listen, because I'm only explaining this once." His eyes narrowed at Bunny, who glared right back. "No matter how wrong your idea of reapers is, it doesn't matter to us."

"It mattered a lot back at your place, didn't it?" Bunny said coolly, raising an eyebrow. Tenshi paused, breathing out slowly.

"If you would let me finish, Rabbit." he snarled. "It doesn't matter - as long as you don't go making trouble for us. Keep your prejudice to yourselves if you have to have it. Don't go spreading rumors, don't go making accusations, and don't interrupt our work, because souls who don't get reaped turn into what you almost lost your immortality to." he pointed at Jack.

"WELL, I think that's enough of that!" Akuma laughed far too loudly. "No real harm was done, so it's okay! You're Jack, right? Tenshi and Clover have talked about you. Nice to see you again! I never really got to talk with you. You probably heard, but my name is Akuma…"

Everyone took a moment to examine the white-haired reaper. His bun had gotten messier during his work, and strands of hair were hanging around his face. He was around the same height as Tenshi, though his face was much softer.

"...get this poor guy to the Station, and then we can go to the bar, if you'd like!" Akuma gently swung the pouch around. "Honestly, Tenshi, I called you out here because I slacked off a bit and left my good gear in my room. So I'll repay you with a drink!"

"I told you that I wasn't ever drinking with you again!" Tenshi huffed, still red and angry.

"And yet you keep coming, huh? Aww…" Akuma laughed, more genuinely this time.

"Huh, I just realized." Julius spoke up, gaining the attention of the others except Jack, who had put his hood up and was watching frost spread beneath the butt of his staff.

"Tenshi and Akuma…"

Everyone looked between the cheerful, laughing Akuma and the incensed, scowling Tenshi.

"...Do those names really fit?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the big delay! Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story. I'm going to get back on track!  
> Note: Tenshi is Japanese for angel. Akuma is Japanese for demon. That was irony from high-school me, and I'm too attached to these characters (and their backstories!) to change their names.


	11. Not a Fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My humblest apologies for being so late with this. My semester is over, so I'll try to dedicate much more time to the story. I have several chapters lined up. I'll try to manage time better in the new year, too.

Akuma, though he obviously tried, was unable to dissolve the awkward tension among the group. He did his best to cheerfully bid them all goodbye, and then he carved himself a portal and disappeared.

"I think it's time we all go home." Tenshi said. His tone was cold. "I can make a portal to wherever you're going."

"Apologies for the intrusion and disruption. It will not happen again." North said, casting a sidelong glance at Jack.

"Hm." Tenshi made no motion except to carve a portal open. "Clover, you go on home. I can send everyone else to where they need to be."

"Tenshi…" Clover looked nervously at the rest of the group. She opened her mouth to speak again, but instead shook her head. "Sorry. 'Night," she murmured before stepping through the portal. It closed behind her without a sound.

"Okay. How about everyone else?" Tenshi turned back to the remaining spirits.

"I'm good." Bunny said. There was an edge to his voice once again. "I can travel on my own terms."

With that, he leapt away from the group and down to the street below, where he opened up a rabbit hole to jump into.

"We know how to get home ourselves," Julius sniffed, standing somewhat between Jack and Tenshi. His arms were folded and he was frowning at the reaper with an unimpressed side-eye to North and Tooth. "But if you're so kind as to use your energy in place of our own, then just open one up to Senegal and I'll fly home from there."

"Sarcasm doesn't look good on you." Tenshi said dryly.

"You're right. It looks great." Julius shot back, now standing completely between the sulking Jack and still-irritated Tenshi, who scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, grow up. You know what he did was wrong!"

"And you know you don't have to be such a jerk about it, but here we are anyway!" Julius sighed and pat his hand against Jack's shoulder. It left an impression in the frost there, and his frown softened. "Forget it. I'm going home by myself."

He stepped closer to the edge of the building, brought his fingers to his lips, and blew out a short whistle. Everyone felt the late summer breeze pick up, getting stronger and stronger until Julius stepped off the roof and spun right up. He was gone in mere moments. Sandy quickly fiddled with a mass of dreamsand in his palms, letting it stretch into a cloud. He floated up into the air and sat down on it, waving goodbye to everyone. His work was never truly done, after all, and plenty of children needed good dreams now.

"Thank you for the offer, Tenshi." Tooth said quietly, feeling desperate to salvage a little bit of civility. "I can fly to my home from here. Could you please send North and Jack to the North Pole workshop?"

"Hm…" Tenshi closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them again with a determined frown, and then sliced through the air. "That should put them out by the door."

"Thank you. Well, time to go," Tooth clapped her hands together. "It was nice meeting you!"

"You were pleasant company." Tenshi didn't specify whether or not he was only talking to Toothiana.

Tooth looked through the portal and hesitantly stepped aside. North waited for Jack to go through first, watching in concerned silence while Jack stood in front of the rift. His steps into the portal were slow and deliberate. Once Jack disappeared through it, North followed after him.

The snow and icy wind greeted them. North found himself looking up at his own front door. He hurried to push it open and get out of the cold. Jack walked off as soon as he pushed past the bunch of yetis welcoming them back.

"Jack!"

The teenage spirit paused. His hoodie was still up, and he held his staff in his armpit while his hands were pushed into his pockets. North sighed.

"Come with me."

Jack slowly turned around, keeping his head down and his expression unreadable. North placed his hand on Jack's shoulder and steered him toward his office. As toys zipped around the large open workshop, North kept glancing at Jack, who still refused to look up at anything. Finally, they reached the door to North's craft room - his "office."

"Jack…" North started once he'd closed the door behind them. He sat down in his sturdy wooden desk chair. "I did not bring you here to yell at you, or scold you."

He watched as Jack looked up, a surprised expression taking over his face. When he said nothing, North continued, choosing his words as carefully as he could.

"I could see that you were trying to put action to your plans. You were trying to do a good thing overall," North gave a small smile. "And...it did not turn out as planned."

Jack shifted his weight between his feet. Finally, he looked North in the eye. His eyes were shiny and dejected.

"It happens all the time, Jack. I am an inventor. A creator. Do think I never have plans that go wrong?" North let out a chuckle. "That is the way we grow. Granted, many plans are...short-sighted. Not our best ideas." North's expression became serious once again.

"I did not care for the way your reaper 'friend' spoke to you."

"Heh, I told you he was a nag. Best reactions." The phony enthusiasm was all North needed to confirm what he'd already assumed. Jack was hurt, even more than the was letting on by sulking.

"You are not a fool, Jack. Worried for your safety or not, berating you is not the way to express that." North folded his arms. "It seems you also enjoy getting a rise out of him whenever you can."

"Well...we've always been that way. We just don't match up well." Jack took one hand from his pocket and tapped his staff against the floor. Frost began creeping into Tenshi's silhouette. "He's uptight, over-protective, irritable…I'm casual, fun-loving, and impulsive."

They were both quiet for a while. North looked over Jack once again. He wouldn't be growing any taller, of course, but when he was lost in slightly-worried thought, he looked just as young as when he was laughing with mischief.

"Certainly a compromise can be reached," North said, pressing down on his knees to stand up from his chair. "But we've had enough excitement for one day, da? How about we get some rest?"

"Yeah, okay...thanks, North." Jack offered a lopsided smile, and North grinned right back at him.


	12. The Reaper, Callous

The reaper headquarters of Japan existed in the way that most spiritual places existed; it was on a different plane of being. That was why such a large space could be created without being known by humans. Reapers themselves could be seen by a human that was close to death or more finely attuned to the supernatural, but otherwise, they couldn't be seen by anyone who wasn't bothering to look for them.

Tenshi was grateful for this as he felt someone pass through him after they curiously examined the scratches on the wall of their business. Out the corner of his eye, Tenshi saw them shiver. He smirked; reapers were the same as ghosts in that regard. He was invisible and non-corporeal, but a trace of him easily bled through into the world of humans.

Tenshi finished examining the wall himself, making a mental note to chastise Akuma later for going back to headquarters without documenting everything that happened. Aggressive ghosts needed to be filed, and the area needed to be cleansed of negative energy as soon as possible. Tenshi wondered how this spirit had been overlooked, anyway. Most of the time, reapers completed their scheduled harvests as soon as the person died…

Well, maybe it had been a rookie mistake, Tenshi thought as he opened a portal to the headquarters. People die all the time, after all. Tenshi didn't know how his boss did it, but schedules of fate were kept like clockwork for the reapers so that complications like this didn't happen.

Tenshi couldn't remember a time when the reaper community was small. He knew its history, of course, but for the hundreds of years that he'd been working as as a reaper, it only ever grew bigger. It was to be expected as the world population grew, which meant that there was a higher level of people constantly living and dying. Even so, he didn't feel very comfortable with the bustling workplace full of reapers, supernatural visitors, and the odd misplaced ghost. Tenshi squeezed by a group of spirits talking by the entrance and started down to the east wing.

"Oh, Mr. Tenshi!" a cheerful voice came from behind him. Tenshi glanced back to see a brunette young woman rushing up to him.

"Good evening, Miss Haruka." Tenshi replied. Haruka smiled and rushed up to his side, matching his pace.

"I thought you clocked out already."

"I did. I ended up helping out with something else, though."

"What? Do they pay for overtime?"

"Pft, no. Not for one reaping, at least." Tenshi shook his head. He looked up to check the room numbers of the offices they were walking past.

"Really, even though you're high-ranking?!" Haruka gasped. "Aww, and I thought they pushed a lot on us…" Tenshi held down a smirk.

"They're getting better with it. Be glad you don't work in filing."

"I think I'd die again!"

"Ugh, he's still not ready?" Tenshi stopped in front of an office door, seeing that the light was still on. "He better hurry before I change my mind…"

"You're waiting on Mr. Akuma?" Haruka asked. "Are you going for dinner?"

"Nope, drinks."

"WHAT?!" Tenshi jumped at the woman's sharp yell. Haruka blinked incredulously at him. "What do you mean, drinks?"

"I mean drinks." Tenshi glanced around the hallway, bemused. "At the bar."

"Wh-bu-...ohh…" Haruka deflated slightly. "I'm sorry. It's so crazy how I keep forgetting. You're older than me by centuries."

"I know it can be hard to acknowledge," Tenshi sighed. "Especially since you've been with us for, what, a month now?"

"Yeah. Some days I feel like I'm dreaming!" Haruka groaned, clasping her hands. "On top of that, I treat you so casually even though you're my superior...I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," Tenshi leaned back against the wall. "You try, which is better than some others I can think of."

"Tenshi! You took my offer after all!" Akuma cheered as he opened the door. He noticed Haruka as well, and a mischievous smile bloomed on his face. "Wooh, are you bringing a plus one? A date, Tenshi?"

"No, you idiot." Tenshi scowled as Haruka gasped and sputtered. "We were just talking."

"Right!" Haruka nodded emphatically. "And I have to go finish some work anyhow, and I was meeting someone else tonight, so...goodnight!"

"Aww, I scared her." Akuma cooed as Haruka turned and marched away. "She's pretty cute, though, if you like office lady types…"

"Quit trying to set me up with people, please." Tenshi started back down the hallway. "I don't work the way you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akuma whined, pouting at Tenshi as he caught up to him.

"If I'm right, and I probably am, we're gonna go to this bar tonight and you're gonna leave with a date set up with a brand new guy - if you don't leave with him, that is. And that's not bad or anything, but I don't work that way. I can't just talk to a girl for an hour, dance, and then try to date her."

"I'm not saying you have to do that, though!" Akuma said. "I'm trying to work with you - you're never going to date anyone if you keep your feelings to yourself for too long. I'm sure you remember 1962-"

"You said you were paying, right?" Tenshi cut, more like chopped, Akuma off before he could drudge up that memory. "I might just get a few cocktails."

"Hey, I remember saying I'd buy you A drink! One!"

"But did you really? At least three is fair."

"You can't even handle that much!"

"Depends on what they are!"

"You have a weird way of talking to people," Akuma said, pouting once again. "You really laid into Jack today." Tenshi scoffed.

"Jack...is not who I want to think about right now."

"I think you should apologize to him when you get the chance."

"For what? Telling him exactly what was on my mind?" Tenshi stopped and held out his hands. "If he's being foolish, why shouldn't I tell him that?"

"I can tell when you're worried about someone, Tenshi, but you have zero tact." Akuma stopped walking too, frowning at Tenshi now.

"Well, I wouldn't have to worry if he didn't do such a dumb thing."

"See, there you go again!" Akuma frowned. "Ugh, whatever, let's just go. That attitude's gonna come back to bite you eventually." he turned and started walking again.

"Hmph."


	13. Rebound

It wasn't that Jack liked to sulk. Far from it, in fact. Moping around by himself was almost worse than being yelled at. He couldn't help his emotions, though, so he was sulking in his room by his lonesome.

He was staring up at the ceiling, painted with winter constellations and clouds. North had outdone himself. The walls were painted a comfortable blue, and the wall across from his bed had a birch-tree pattern. There was a desk there too, but apart from a few snowflake drawings and snowflake cutouts, it was empty.

He sighed, deep and long. Enough was enough.

Jack got up, grabbed his staff, and opened his door, peeking around the frame. The workshop was bustling, as usual. He didn't see anyone who might strike up an interaction, which was good because he only wanted to talk to North right now.

Jack crept out of his bedroom and carefully closed the door behind him. He surveyed the hall again; since the room was on a higher floor, not many yetis were walking around here. He didn't see any elves yet, but they were surely lurking around. Jack took a couple steps down the hallway. It wasn't far to North's office. He hoped that the flying toys and balloons were enough camouflage to hide him from too much attention.

That was such a strange thing about him, Jack had realized. He liked attention most of the time, usually loved it. It was what he desired from everyone. But...he didn't like being treated with too much affection all at once, especially from people bigger than him. He could handle a bunch of kids running over and begging to play. He just didn't like being treated like a child himself, hugged and coddled until he felt better.

His mind flashed to Toothiana, who did that to him sometimes. Okay, maybe he liked it a little bit.

Jack knocked twice on North's office door. There was no answer. He knocked a third time. Nothing. Puzzled, he stepped back and looked over the balcony. Maybe he was getting a snack? Time for another epic jump, then.

He launched himself over the railing and made a clean landing, startling a group of elves while some yetis looked up from their work to grumble something at him. He still didn't know much of the language, but intonations were understandable regardless. Right now, there was a mixture of scolding him and asking about yesterday's exploits.

There was no time for yeti gossip! Jack needed to find North. He breezed past them and made a beeline for the kitchen. Sure enough, North was leaning against the counter with a cookie halfway to his mouth. Sitting on the other side, with a blanket over their shoulders and a mug in their hands, was-

"Julius, what are you doing here?" Jack stuffed his free hand into his hoodie pocket.

"I came to see how you were." Julius straightened up to look at Jack properly.

"After all the crap you give me about coming to your place in the middle of summer?!" Jack shouted at his friend, though he bore a grin. He walked over to the counter and took a cookie from the plate between North and Julius. "You look like you've been rescued from a mountain or something.

"Might as well have been," Julius said. "I don't have any fancy portal magic. I tried riding the wind here; it tapped out 'soon as we got to the arctic circle, and the North Wind caught me and brought me the rest of the way."

"Did it drop you in the snow?"

"Sure did! Just lettin' me freeze my butt off until a patrol yeti found me struggling to get to the door." Julius sipped his drink, which Jack could now see was hot cocoa with marshmallows.

"Figures. It knows who its best friend is." Jack laughed, grabbing another cookie.

"And you couldn't tell it who your best friend is?"

"What's Clover got to do with this?"

"Pfft, you say that now, but you wait 'til you come to the islands and get plopped in the hot sand."

"Really now!" North interrupted. "Julius said he had another message for you, Jack."

"Oh yeah? Is it about when he's gonna play me in sand-snowball again?"

"No, not that." season-keeper paid mind to North's questioning look. "Clover messaged me with something she wanted to pass on to you."

"What's up?" Jack reached for another cookie.

"She said she's sorry for what happened. She laid into Tenshi a little heavy, apparently."

"...I mean, that wasn't her fault." Jack glanced down at the floor. A few elves were stacking themselves on each other's shoulders, eyeing the cookies. Jack dangled one above them.

"Yeah, but she felt bad for just not saying anything." Julius drained his mug and set it to the side.

"It's not like it's a super big deal."

"Yeah. Tenshi was being a jerkhole about it."

"No, I mean...I'm over it."

"Are you?"

"I mean, what am I supposed to say?" Jack let the cookie fall to its doom at the hands of elves. "Yeah, it didn't go how I thought it was. I just wish he wouldn't treat me like I'm stupid."

"See, I think he knows that, or just doesn't care. Clover knows that too, and I think she knows that he knows…"

North was lost amid their conversation, so he busied himself with getting a glass of milk. By the time he got back to the younger spirits, they were talking about a more relatable subject.

"You think Cupid would wanna have a sit-down with the Guardians?"

"She'd have a tea party with anyone who gave her the time of day, honestly." Julius said. "But hey, go for it."

"She doesn't have a phone, too, does she…?" Jack looked almost nervous asking that question. Julius laughed, finally taking the blanket off.

"We need to get you to the night market, man. But no, I don't think she does."


	14. Reassured with Wonder

"Now that is a spirit I know!" North grinned. "I have talked with Cupid many times."

"Huh, you know her?" Jack asked. North nodded at him.

"Yes, I talked with her when she was apprenticing for the former Cupid."

"Is there a rule about that?" Julius asked. "Does every spirit have to apprentice before they retire from whatever they do?"

"Not necessarily. Some spirits, like Old Man Winter, as Jack can tell you, take off without a word."

Jack, who had been picking at the candies in another cookie, glanced up at this.

"Most of the seasonal spirits talk with Mother Nature about their possible successors," North continued. "And she makes the decision for them. It is not mandatory to train up a new spirit."

"Woulda been nice to have something, though!" Jack said, tossing the candies to the still-hungry elves.

"So is it decided that we're going to visit Cupid? I've haven't been around to chat with her in a while." North shooed the elves away as he began to clean up the counter.

"Yeah, whenever we all come together again." Jack scoffed. The others paused, sharing a nervous glance. He probably hadn't meant to sound so bitter about it still.

"We can hold meeting tomorrow, after this day of rest!" North clapped his hands together. "We will decide everything together then."

"I guess that's what we'll do." Jack sighed. He spun his staff in one hand and started toward the door. "Tomorrow, we meet Cupid, the next day...I dunno, who should be next? Who's someone the Kangaroo won't try to fight with?"

"How about we worry over that when we get to it, and do something fun today?" Julius said, putting his arm around Jack's shoulder. "I've always wanted to visit Santa's Workshop!"

"Of course, a tour!" North hustled ahead of the pair. "Naturally, it is the product of the wishes of all the world's children…"

As North began to talk more and more about the wondrous features of the workshop, Jack watched Julius' face. He was clearly invested, his eyes almost sparkling. He seemed to be paying extra attention to toys that North claimed were specially-made for certain kids. Jack felt a lump in his throat. He didn't want to shrug away his friend, who he could see had more than one motive to looking around the workshop like this.

Julius, though he'd cooled down over the decades, had a quick temper and an unwavering sense of justice about many things. He didn't like seeing tempers rise in his friends, however, so he tried to diffuse situations as often as he could. He knew the effects of unchecked emotions.

As a result, Julius was a very good actor.

Jack knew that he wouldn't bring up the question that surely burned in his mind. Not right now, anyway. Jack continued to watch Julius' face as they followed North around. He was still looking around with wide eyes. His mouth was closed, but he gave a quiet gasp a couple of times. Who could blame him? Things were flying around, magic was working in every color, toys of all kinds were being constructed and decorated and tested. It was the dream-come-true of anyone who'd ever heard of Santa Claus.

Jack dragged the butt of his staff on the floor. Fern-leaf frost patterns trailed behind it. North was probably trying to ease tensions, too, even after they'd had that talk. He really did care, and Jack still didn't know how to respond to it.

Julius gave an excited yelp and ran off, nearly tripping the zoned-out Jack. When Jack looked over to see what had happened, he realized that Julius was looking at a collection of ocean-themed toys. Mechanical fish were flying around, plush sea turtles were moving in groups along the floor, dolphins were doing tricks in floating water bubbles. There was pure joy on Julius' slack-jawed face.

Jack smiled. Something buzzed past his ear, and he ducked. It was another toy plane, and it landed at a tiny airport made of building blocks. A snowflake-shaped kite spun in the air as it rose to the ceiling on a simulated wind current. Jack smiled wider.

Maybe things would be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this being shorter than usual.

**Author's Note:**

> Hhhhhhhh short introduction, I know. It'll pick up soon. Like I said, there will be a lot of OCs in this, and probably subsequent stories I write. It would be great if you could give me feedback on my writing! Thank you for reading.


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